Service Campaign: Should G.M. Have Recalled Saturn Ions for Steering Failures?

After fielding more than 600 complaints, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating whether General Motors should have recalled 384,000 Saturn Ion coupes and sedans as part of a larger recall earlier this year. The recall of a million cars in March was prompted by a N.H.T.S.A. investigation in January, which concerned the electric power steering on 2005-10 Chevrolet Cobalts and 2007-10 Pontiac G5s. At the time of the recall, G.M. argued that a driver would still be able to control the car if the electric assist failed, although increased steering effort would be necessary, especially at low speeds. The safety agency disagreed and described the defect as “increasing the risk of a crash.”